Great place names

[aurillia]

I keep coming across really interesting or beautiful or cool-sounding place names in Canada. Don't get me wrong, Australia has some beauties, but I just wanted to share some of my favourites here.

Etobicoke - a suburb of Toronto, pronounced "E-toe-bee-ko" - how cool is that?!
Sault Ste. Marie - a town in Ontario, considered to be depressing because

Comments

Place names

[anonymous]

As a Kamloopsian (seriously, that is what we are called), I like that you giggle at the namr of our city.
Kamloops is a native (Canadian Indian) word, meaning "where the two rivers meet," as our city of about 90,000 sits at the confluence of the North Thompson and South Thompson rivers.
The South Thompson then carries on southwest, where it meets the mighty Fraser River, which then steamrolls through canyons en route to Vancouver and, eventually, the Pacific Ocean.
Cheers!
Chris

Re: Place names

[aurillia]

Hi Chris,

Is it awful that I giggled at "As a Kamloopsian" as well? It's a bit like being introduced to an alien ;) It's a great word, though.

Place names 2

[anonymous]

Sault Ste, Marie .... I recall pronouncing it Salt St. Marie until I was about 10, when I learned it was actually pronounced Soo Ste. Marie.
And did you know it has a sister city across the Canada/US border in Michigan, also called Sault Ste. Marie?
Chris
(chrisfoulds.blogspot.com)

Re: Place names 2

[aurillia]

I don't think I did know that, though, somehow, it loses its poetic quality as soon as its relocated to Michigan!

I don't speak French at all, mostly because the pronounciation intimidates me, so I just mimic what I hear (otherwise, I'd be pronouncing it "salt saint marie" too). I pronounce it So' Sa' Marie - shortened consonant and vowel sounds, which aren't really phonetic and can you see why French scares the crap out of me??! But it's so pretty...

[anonymous]

What about Yakandandah?! Known throughout rural Victoria as Yakanbloodywhere? he he he

I used to like Trevallyn, but now it has bad memories attached to it. I'll have to think of something better then!

X Fer

[littleblueghost]

but the jams from Yackandandah are good :D

[aurillia]

I have never heard of Yakandandah, but what a mouthful!

Place names 3

[anonymous]

I still think the greatest name from coast to coast to coast is Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in Alberta.
With a moniker like that, it's no wonder it's a protected UN World Heritage Site.
I don't know about the historic significance, but the name itself should be a protected UN entity.

Re: Place names 3

[aurillia]

*laughs*

Is it really called Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump? I'm pressuming it was inspired by real-life events :)

[mdbenoit]

There are dozens of great aboriginal names in Canada and they are even more interesting when you know their origins

[aurillia]

You are a wealth of information! How do you know all this?

[mdbenoit]

It's an interest of mine. It's amazing what you find on the internet these days :-)